Manitoba's Five-Year Plan for Child Care will continue to support
and expand Manitoba's child care system. The Manitoba government
will continue to work with the federal government to improve the
child care system.

Since April 2000, Manitoba has increased its investment in child
day care by $16 million or 32 per cent. The total budget for the
program is now almost $70 million.

Manitoba's plan advances three major elements over a five-year
period:

maintaining and improving quality;

improving accessibility; and

improving affordability.

Major Elements of the Plan:

YEAR ONE - 2002/03

An
additional $2.35 million will be invested in child day care programming:

Effective July 1, 2002, grant increases for service providers
will enable the first level of Phase III salaries to be paid to
early childhood educators (ECEs). Equivalent grant increases will
also be provided for family child care homes and nursery schools.

To begin addressing the shortfall of ECEs, Manitoba will expand
the Competency-Based Assessment and Competency-Based Assessment/Prior
Learning Assessment programs. In addition, colleges will increase
the number of students in ECE training programs.

A public education and recruitment campaign will be undertaken
to attract more students to the field.

The government will support mandatory training of new family
child care providers, and will provide incentives for existing
providers and child care assistants to begin training.

Beginning in September 2002, there will be further increases
in the number of funded child care spaces. Priority will be given
to communities that are most underserved and to programs with
the greatest financial need.

Maximum fees parents pay as part of funded programs will be
frozen.

The government will also:

explore incentives to encourage greater use of licensed
family child care homes for infant care;

examine, in conjunction with community funders and partners,
the concept of a comprehensive nursery school program for
three and four-year olds; and

review the child care subsidy program and the non-subsidized
daily fee.

YEARS TWO TO FIVE 2003/04 - 2006/07

By the end of March 2007:

wages and incomes for service providers will increase by 10
per cent;

450 more ECEs will be trained;

licensed family child care providers will be encouraged to complete
designated training;

5,000 more spaces will be funded;

Manitoba's existing nursery school program for three and four-year
olds will be expanded and more closely linked with other early
childhood development initiatives;

subsidy income levels and allowable deductions will be adjusted
so more low and middle income families are eligible for full or
partial fee subsidies;

the $2.40 non-subsidized daily fee for subsidized families will
be reduced; and

more child care subsidies will be available to support newly
created spaces.

This five-year plan is a high priority for the Manitoba government
and must be based on future fiscal realities. The province will
seek the support of the Government of Canada and all key stakeholders
to achieve these goals.